View of an operating room at operating department at the hadassah medical center
View of an operating room at operating department at the hadassah medical centerYonatan Sindel/Flash90

A clinical joint venture and academic affiliation agreement was signed this week between Hadassah Medical Center and Hala - The Rachel Nash Jerusalem Comprehensive Breast Clinic.

Under the agreement signed by Hadassah Medical Organization CEO Prof. Zeev Rotstein and Hala Founder and Chairman Rabbi Michoel Sorotzkin, Hadassah will serve as the main hospital for all Hala patients in multidisciplinary breast-cancer care at the highest standards in Israel.

In addition, the parties will join forces in multinational research studies in the field of early detection of breast cancer.

Hala earned its reputation over the last two decades as an international center of excellence as an outstanding breast diagnostic clinic. Hala's sophisticated examinations are identical to those practiced at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and other leading comprehensive breast clinics.

Hala is staffed by a team of Israeli and international experts in all areas of breast imaging. Its comprehensive model provides a one-stop shop for all exams needed in a single visit including clinical examinations, mammography and tomosynthesis, 3D ultrasound and if needed a variety of biopsies including stereotactic biopsies to obtain a definitive diagnosis in one session.

Since Hala's inception, some 350,000 women visited the clinic.

At the Sharett Institute of Oncology at Hadassah Medical Center, thousands of patients are treated annually by a team of experts in all areas of cancer. The institute uses a wide range of diagnostic laboratories, advanced radiological and imaging tools and updated diagnostic and therapeutic methods in cutting-edge technologies similar to those used in leading medical centers worldwide.

Breast cancer patients at Hadassah receive dedicated, professional care from a team of experts who provide accepted treatment protocols used in leading international centers alongside groundbreaking treatments.

Hadassah's patients are provided with a blanket of services including dedicated nurses and coordinators who accompany the patient from time of diagnosis throughout the treatment. In addition, patients are provided with professional psychological, social and moral support. Hadassah has a dedicated clinic for women who are carriers of genetic mutations advising and guiding them with prevention protocols.

Under the agreement, Hadassah will serve as the main provider for Hala's patients in the areas of pathology, MRI, surgery, radiotherapy, oncology and clinical and academic research.

Among those present for the signing were Sharret Institute head Prof. Tamar Peretz, Hadassah Ein Kerem Director Prof. Yoram Weiss, Hala’s breast-imaging expert Dr. Yamin Cohen and MRI and biopsies specialist Dr. Jane Tuvia, who just immigrated to Israel from New York.

Said Prof. Rotstein: "We’re proud to sign this agreement with one of the leading institutes in breast-cancer diagnosis located in the Israeli capital. We are very familiar with Hala's work. We admire and appreciate Rabbi Sorotzkin, a special colleague who has done so much life-saving work for so many women in Israel for decades. It’s only natural that Hadassah with its unique clinical standards should join forces with Hala. This venture will provide Hala’s patients with our best services. It’s the dawn of a new day in breast-cancer treatment."

Said Rabbi Michoel Sorotzkin: "While Hala serves as Israel's leading and most advanced breast-cancer diagnostic center, this joint venture with Hadassah Medical Center will insure Hala's patients with a quality ‘closing of the circle’ in the most advanced setting. In addition to this clinical pact between these two centers of excellence, Hala sees great importance in the areas of academic R&D in our mutual goal of fighting this lethal disease here in Israel and all over the world."